hardline_42
Active Member
I finished this in about a half-hour (pictures and write-up included) just a few minutes ago. The other day my Airtech CB350 tail came in (for my CB360) so I decided to do a little work on it. On my way home from work I stopped by a local truck stop and picked up a few things to install a brake light. I found a 2" LED round marker light (DOT approved) and a 2" rubber grommet for flush mounting. I think I spent about $15 on both items. Here they are pre-assembly:
The first thing I did was locate where I wanted the light to be mounted. I took a few measurements, located the centerline of the bubble and decided to mount it as low as possible so it would be more vertical for better visibility and also to minimize the radius the light would have to sit against.
I used the "small" end of the grommet to trace the outline on the tail. The grommet has two ridges (both angled towards each other) with a ~3/8" space between the two (not visible) where the edge of the fiberglass will sit. The space between the ridges is slightly larger than the small end of the grommet. You can also see how thick the lens and housing is. The regular non-LED light is half as thick.
To cut the hole I used a hole saw for cutting locks in doors. I think the diameter is 2 1/8". Then, I used a dremel with a sanding drum to adjust the hole until the grommet fit. The light should just push in (with considerable force). I filed down a slight casting ridge on the bottom edge of the light to help it slide home.
Here you can see how low profile it is:
The black grommet might be a little overpowering, but since I'm planning on covering the entire tail in black vinyl, I expect it to just blend into the background.
Here's a pic of the tail on my basket case 360:
Hope this helps someone.
The first thing I did was locate where I wanted the light to be mounted. I took a few measurements, located the centerline of the bubble and decided to mount it as low as possible so it would be more vertical for better visibility and also to minimize the radius the light would have to sit against.
I used the "small" end of the grommet to trace the outline on the tail. The grommet has two ridges (both angled towards each other) with a ~3/8" space between the two (not visible) where the edge of the fiberglass will sit. The space between the ridges is slightly larger than the small end of the grommet. You can also see how thick the lens and housing is. The regular non-LED light is half as thick.
To cut the hole I used a hole saw for cutting locks in doors. I think the diameter is 2 1/8". Then, I used a dremel with a sanding drum to adjust the hole until the grommet fit. The light should just push in (with considerable force). I filed down a slight casting ridge on the bottom edge of the light to help it slide home.
Here you can see how low profile it is:
The black grommet might be a little overpowering, but since I'm planning on covering the entire tail in black vinyl, I expect it to just blend into the background.
Here's a pic of the tail on my basket case 360:
Hope this helps someone.
